The Venue's Unparalleled Displays Introduced
New Form of Immersive Entertainment to Audiences at Sphere's Grand
Opening in Las Vegas
LAS
VEGAS and SUSSEX,
England, Oct. 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Sphere, a
next-generation entertainment medium, opened to the public on
Friday September 29, 2023, ushering
in the future of live entertainment. Two of the Las Vegas venue's signature features – its
160,000 sq. ft. interior LED display plane, and its 580,000 sq. ft.
exterior, the Exosphere – are powered by technologies from
7thSense, a global leader of leading-edge media serving, pixel
processing and show control technologies.
At 16K x 16K resolution, Sphere's interior LED display
plane is the highest resolution LED screen in the world. Soaring to
a height of 240 feet, and with over 3 acres of display surface, the
screen wraps up, over, and around the audience to create a fully
immersive visual environment. The Exosphere is the largest LED
screen in the world – a vivid canvas that has captured the world's
attention with a wide range of artistic and branded content since
debuting this summer. The size and scale of Sphere required a
playback engine like no other system in the world. Behind the
scenes at Sphere, 7thSense's ground-breaking new suite of products,
collectively known as the 'Performer Range,' collaboratively
breathes life into the LED displays.
"Sphere's LED displays redefine the meaning of immersive," said
David Dibble, CEO of MSG
Ventures, a division of Sphere Entertainment. "On the interior,
never has an LED screen combined this immense scale and field of
view with this level of clarity, while the exterior is a dynamic
canvas that has already become a new global landmark. 7thSense has
been a valued partner in delivering high-quality video playback
solutions for MSG for over a decade, and we trusted the team to
work closely with us and push their technologies even further to
meet the unique demands of Sphere. The result is an experience that
takes audiences from simply watching content on an LED screen, to
feeling like they have been transported to new places."
Richard Brown, CTO,
7thSense said, "With the opening of Sphere in Las Vegas, we are excited to introduce our new
Performer range, including Actor® media server,
Juggler® pixel processor, and Conjurer® - our
generative media solution. Developed over several years with a
focus on the evolving landscape of video technology, and the
challenging workflow requirements associated with a media storage
and playback system needed for a project the size of Sphere, these
products are intricately designed to leverage SMPTE ST 2110 IP
video streaming. The pre-rendered content at Sphere is stored on a
network-attached storage (NAS) solution and streamed in real-time
to dozens of media servers, which each output 4K video at 60 frames per second over an ST 2110
distribution network – a world-first in terms of technology
capability at this scale for a live entertainment venue. 7thSense's
Juggler pixel processors handle combining playback media with other
video sources, such as cameras, to create overall compositions that
tell larger-than-life immersive stories. The integration of these
products into Sphere isn't just a step, but a leap forward in our
journey of innovation. I am immensely proud of our team and
everything we have accomplished to help bring Sphere to life."
7thSense has worked with the team at MSG since 2011, when the
company's award-winning-technologies were used as part of the
Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes in
New York. Since then, the 7thSense
and MSG collaboration has produced several other project
installations.
With many years of experience of serving pixels to high quality,
uncompressed mega canvasses, 7thSense was chosen to create a fully
redundant, mission-critical playback system capable of playing both
full resolution, uncompressed media and generative content, in
addition to supporting live concerts and events. The 7thSense
Juggler pixel processors are critical infrastructure in the path to
getting the image to the display, so reliability is a paramount
concern. The Jugglers also provide a mechanism to bring video from
external sources such as production truck feeds into the venue.
Bryan Hinckley, CEO of
7thSense, added, "Since 2004, 7thSense has been at the
forefront of identifying and addressing inefficiencies and
challenges in managing very large video systems, consistently
raising the bar in user interaction, both for technical experts and
creative minds. We firmly believe that our team and our
technologies have now crafted a solution that will forever redefine
the landscape of live performances and immersive experiences."
Matt Barton,
Chairperson of 7thSense, reflected, "Being part of a team
that has shattered existing boundaries in immersive experiences and
entertainment is truly awe-inspiring. This remarkable achievement
is the result of years of unwavering dedication and innovation, and
I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all involved."
About Sphere:
Sphere is a next-generation entertainment medium that is redefining
the future of live entertainment. A venue where the foremost
artists, creators, and technologists will create extraordinary
experiences that take storytelling to a new level and transport
audiences to places both real and imagined. The venue will host
original Sphere Experiences from leading Hollywood directors; concerts and residencies
from the world's biggest artists; and premier marquee events. The
first Sphere venue opened in Las
Vegas in September 2023, and
is a new Las Vegas landmark,
powered by cutting-edge technologies that ignite the senses and
enable audiences to share experiences at a never-before-seen scale.
More information is available at thesphere.com.
About Sphere Entertainment Co.
Sphere Entertainment
Co. (NYSE: SPHR) is a premier live entertainment and media company.
The Company includes Sphere, a next-generation entertainment medium
powered by cutting-edge technologies to redefine the future of
entertainment. The first Sphere venue opened in Las Vegas in September
2023. In addition, the Company includes MSG Networks, which
operates two regional sports and entertainment networks, MSG
Network and MSG Sportsnet, as well as a direct-to-consumer and
authenticated streaming product, MSG+, delivering a wide range of
live sports content and other programming. More information is
available at sphereentertainmentco.com.
About 7thSense
7thSense is a privately-owned creative
software and technology company with offices in Upper Beeding
(Sussex) and London in the UK, and Royal Oak (Michigan), Orlando
(Florida) and Burbank
(California) in North America.
Established in 2004, we are technology innovators who specialise
in pixel generation, processing and management by providing a
toolkit of advanced products that enable storytellers worldwide to
fulfil their vision.
As a team, our dedication to performance and innovation allows
us to consistently push the limits of storytelling.
https://7thsense.one/
Press Contacts:
For Sphere:
spherepr@sphereentertainmentco.com
For 7thSense: Beth Nicholas;
Beth.nicholas@7thsense.one; +44 (0) 7891 291 471
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SOURCE Sphere Entertainment Co.